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Swan River Sailing (SRS) aims to promote participation in the sport of sailing in any way or form & in the nomination period conducted a number of activities that encouraged female participation & inclusion in the sport of sailing.
2020 WOMENS STATE KEELBOAT CHAMPS(WSKC) / 05.12.2020
• Usually the WSKC is held in the first few months of the calendar year, but, thanks to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the original 2020 WSKC scheduled for March 2020 had to be cancelled. Due to unwavering demand from the women in the local community, a new date was later set for the 2020 edition of the event
• 2020’s WSKC saw 5 teams compete with representation from 4 clubs. The morning was a fantastic exhibition of fleet racing out of SoPYC and the competition was fierce! With 35+ women competing, it was a fantastic show of female participation in WA’s sailing community
2021 WOMENS STATE KEELBOAT CHAMPS(WSKC) / 20.03.2021
• The WSKC celebrated its’ 29th birthday in 2021. This event has been one of SRS most popular state regattas in the organisations’ history and continues to be an important date on the calendar for female keelboat sailors in WA
• In the 2021 edition of the event, 8 teams representing 5 yacht clubs participated in the 7 race regatta at RFBYC with more than 50 women participating in the event!
• Stay tuned for later in 2021 where we celebrate this incredible event with a *Special 30th Edition Regatta* before running the usual annual version also in March 2022!
WOMEN ON WATER (WOW) / 15.04.2021
• At the 2021 City of Perth Festival of Sail, WOW, a womens networking morning, was held, for the 4th year running. It has proved very successful in providing the opportunity to try the sport of sailing in a safe and fun environment to many CBD based businesswomen. The morning started with the women gathering in the heart of Perth, Elizabeth Quay, and heading straight out onto the Foundation-36 Yachts in Perth Waters for a taste of the sport. The guests were hosted by 2 experienced sailors on each boat, primarily females from the local community & also professional sailors
• Heading ashore afterwards to The Reveley for morning tea and networking, the formalities were hosted by Tessa Parkinson OAM (2008 Olympic Gold Medalist & FSC Head Coach) with speeches from local youth sailors, Lucy Alderson & Holly Hunt and the City's Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Sandy Anghie. Cr Anghie provided her support and endorsement for the City of Perth Festival of Sail and the fantastic initiative that Women On Water is!
• 8 yachts & 75 women participated, many of them having not experienced or had the opportunity to experience sailing before, others returning for the event for a second or third year running! Tickets were sold at a completely non-profit rate and included morning tea at a function venue in the CBD
• Feedback was great again as the time of the day, it being a unique a networking event for corporate businesswomen and the location allows for WOW to continue to be a successful initiative to introduce women to the sport of sailing in a safe and fun environment!
• SRS has plans to continue to hold a similar event more tailored towards being a social event for the women of the sailing community in Perth for Women’s Health Week in 2021, due to the demand this initiative has created! Watch this space!
ENCOURAGING FEMALE PARTICIPATION IN REGATTAS
• Upon consultation with female match racers in 2019, an amendment was made to SRS Match RacinG NoRs so weight restrictions reflected the 68kg average weight that is used in womens match racing. The NoRs would allow for a 476kg maximum total weight and up to 7 crew in total if the team were all female. If the team were mixed or all male, then they would need to adhere to the usual 437.5kg maximum total weight and up to 6 crew members in total
• This change was well received by all those who expressed interest to compete in the events, including male and mixed teams, as it encouraged more female participation and allowed female teams to compete on a more level playing field. It also provided the opportunity of such a big crew on one team & the female teams relished this opportunity.
• Since this change was administered in 2019, SRS have adapted this throughout the rest of their regattas and NoRs in order to encourage female participation across the sport
WA TOUR & DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (INCLUDED 5 REGATTAS)
• Six teams participated in the WA Tour and Development Program and included 45 Western Australian based youth (under 25) athletes with 13 of these athletes being female including an all-female team (Akamai Race Team!)
INTER CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS (ICC) // 17.04.2021
• The ICC which turned 29 in 2021 consists of 4 sessions with Session 2 dedicated to the women.
• In 2021, 4 clubs participated in the ICC with 25+ women participating in session 2
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